Can opener



2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 15, 1953 M. J. LA FORTE CAN OPENER Filed April 27, 1949 Mlm@ Dec. 15, 1953 M J, LA FORTE 2,662,280

CAN OPENER Filed April 27, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9atented ec. 35,1953

CAN OPENER Michael J. La Forte, Park Ridge, Ill., assigner to Vaughan Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April 27, 1949, Serial No. 89,845

The present invention relates to can openers and more particularly to an improved means :for guiding the opener while the opener and can are moved relatively to shear the top of a can.

One object ol the invention is to improve the construction of a manual type can opener by providing it with a handle and a guide means cooperating with the opener driving means resiliently to hold the opener on a can after the top of the can has been sheared so that the opener may be used as a handle in pouring the contents of the can.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved means for guiding movement of a can opener during the piercing and shearing operation which may be used in both manual and wall type can openers but is particularly adaptable for use on the manual type opener.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved resilient guide means for a can opener.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved means for preventing tilting of a can opener relative to a can during piercing and shearing of the top of the can.

A more general object of the invention is to provide a can opener which is inexpensive and sturdy in construction and easy to operate.

These and other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale of the inner side of the improved opener of the present invention with the handle shown fragmentarily and parts broken away more clearly to show the construction;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the opposite side of the opener showing the opener in shearing position on a can;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;y

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the opener may be used as a handle for a can;

` Fig. 5 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation taken from the same side of the opener as Fig. l but showing the opener in shearing position on a can and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the blade assembly for the improved opener of the present invention.

. The improved can opener of the present invention includes a handle l0 to the forwardV end of Cit which is secured an operating head indicated in its entirety by the numeral I2. Movably carried by this operating head is a traction drive assembly indicated as a whole by the numeral ld. Also Xed relative to the operating head and handle is a bayonet type cutter blade i6.

Although the handle lll and operating head i?. could be formed as a unitary sheet metal stamping, they are preferably made as separate pieces. The handle ill preferably is made from a single length of metal strapping bent intermediate its ends to form parallelly extending sides i8 closely spaced at their forward ends to form a shank ill (Fig. e) and of greater spacing at their rear ends to facilitate gripping of the handle by an operator. l

The operating head l2 may be a sheet metal stamping. it has a conformation best seen in Fig. l. If desired its upper edge may be conformed to provide a claw 22 for removing crown caps but this forms no part of the invention. Intermediate its upper and lower edges the operating head IZ is offset as indicated at 2d (Fig. 3) for a purpose to be described. The offset part provides a support or base 26 for the drive assembly I. A lateral guide 28 for engaging the side of a can is formed on the lower end of the support by bending the marginal edge thereof inwardly into a plane normal to the plane or the support.

The drive assembly ill includes a serrated traction wheel 3D nonrotatably secured upon the end of a shank 32 on a key Sli (Fig. 3). This key has projecting wings 3S to facilitate grasping of the same so that the drive assembly may be rotated readily. Also nonrotatably fixed upon the shank 32 of the key spaced from the traction wheel 3G a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the support 26 is an operating cam 38. Between the cam 3B and traction wheel 3e a disc or washer dit is mounted on the shank of the key (Fig. 1).

Referring to this latter ligure it will be seen that the support 26 forming part oi the operating head has a generally arcuate shaped cam slot l2 formed therein approximately one quadrant in length. At its upper end this slot terminates in a relatively short, generally horizontally extending portion 114 which cooperates with the drive assembly lil in a novel manner described hereinafter. In the assembled can opener the drive assembly is journalled in the cam slot d2 upon the disc #lil with the traction wheel 3% loosely engaging the inner side of the support 26 and the operating cam 38 loosely engagingl its outer is operated the peripheral edge of the cam .'58l

cooperates, in a manner which will be described,V with an outwardly projecting abutment 50 embossed in the support 26.

The cutter I previously mentioned is of theshear blade type as best seen in Fig. 1. Conventionally one or more guide members, are. D lQVicledV y on an opener of the type herein described which engage the top of the bead indicated at 52 on a can 54 to limit penetration of the blade and to guide movement of the can and opener during shearing of the top of the can. Heretofore these guides were of rigid construction. In place of rigid guides the opener of the present invention is provided with a pair of generally U-shaped resilient guide members 56 (Fig. 4) one on either side of the cutter I5. The advantages of this construction will be set forth in the description of the operation of the opener.

For convenience in manufacture thev cutter blade I6 and guide members 56 are-formed from a single sheet metal stamping best seen in Fig. 6. This stamping includes a base portion 58 which extends on opposite sides of the blade. Integral with the outer ends of the lower edge of this base are formed the U-shaped guide members 56 which lie in a plane normal to the plane of the operating head I2. The blade and guide assembly is secured with respect to the operating head I2 and the handle I0 by means of a pair of rivets 60 which pass through and secure all of these parts together (Figs. 2 and 3). It will be observed in these igures that the base ofthe blade assembly is secured to the inner side of the operating head above the offset 24 with the guide members 56 projecting inwardly relative to the position of the blade. Furthermore, both the. operating head and blade assembly are secured between the opposite sides I8 of the shank 20.0n the handle although they may be arranged otherwise with respect to the shank. If necessary one or both sides of the handle may be oiset to provide space between the sides of the shank for the-operating head and the blade and guide assembly. Addi-A tional rivets, such as a rivet 62 may also be used to secure the sides of the shank together.

Yielding movement of the free ends of these guide members 56 is limited by abutments formed by the upper edges 64 of a pair of rectangular openings 66 (Figs. 2 and 3) in the operating head I2 into which the tips of these free ends extend. This completes the description of the construction of the opener.

Before the opener can be applied to a can the drive assembly I4 must be moved to inoperative.

position. This is accomplished by turning the key 34 until the dwell 46 in the periphery of the operating cam is brought opposite the abutment 50. The drive assembly I4 may then be movedlongitudinally of the engages its lower end and the dwell is brought into engagement with the abutment 50. At'this by the abutment 50 engaging the dwell, but it is` cam slot 42 until the disc 46' parts the drive assembly I4 4 free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. l or in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 2.

In the inoperative position of the parts the lower end of the blade I6 and the upper side or the traction wheel 30 are spaced suiiciently so that the opener may be placed on the edge or upper peripheral bead 52 on the can with the blade resting on the top of the can at the inner side of the peripheral bead and the traction wheel below the bead. By reason of the offset 24 in the operating head the traction wheel 38 is held spaced outwardly of the blade a distance corresponding approximately to the thickness of the bead 52. Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the offset 24 and lateral guide 28 hold the support 26V spaced sufciently from the side of the can 54 so that binding between the traction wheel and the side of the can is avoided but yet the upper side of the traction wheel lies sumciently close to the side of the can so that it is directly under the bead on the can.

If the drive assembly I4 at inoperative position is rotated in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2). the back side of the dwell 46 in the edge of the operating cam 38 and the arcuate portion 48 of the cam engaging the abutment 56 cause the drive assembly to be raised toward the upper end of the cam slot 42. This first brings the traction wheel 36 into engagement with the underside of the bead 52 on the can. Upon further rotation of the drive assembly I4 in the same direction, the entire operating headand the blade I6` are drawn downwardly causing the= blade to pierce the top of the canas seen in: Fig. 3. Continued downward' movement of the operating head brings the guide members 56 into engagement with the top of the bead 52. This occurs at about the time the disc 40 in the drive assembly-enters the upper end part 44 of the cam slot, which partthereafter forms a bearing for theicontinuedV rotation of the drive assembly. As long as the drive assembly I4 remains journalled in the part 44 in the cam slot, the bead 52 on the can willv be held against the traction wheel 30 by the guide members 56 with a force determined by the tension in the guide members.

These guide members should be so constructed that this tension is sumcient to causerelativemovement to be imparted to `the can and opener longitudinally of the bead 52 as long as the drive assembly is rotated in the same direction. Such movement between the can and opener causes the blade to sever the top of the can. During this movement the guide members 56 guide movement of the opener and can and prevent or greatly lessen tilting of the opener relative to the can which tilting commonly occurs in manual type can openers. Binding between the canv and opener arising from tilting of the opener isthusy eliminated in the opener of thepresent invention.

Another advantage of the resilient guide members of the present invention arises from the fact that normally both guide members exert a force on the topedge or bead of the can. As a result this edge is resiliently held against the traction wheel even after a shearing operation has been completed with suiiicient force to prevent its disengagement from the opener unless the drive assembly is moved to inoperative position. Thus the opener hasV particular merit in the handling of hot cans because it may beused as a handle in pouring the contents thereof.

In order-that the guidemembers- 56 shall function as above described, it will'be understood that they must be so constructed that they will engage the bead on a can before the disc 40 on the drive assembly I4 enters the horizontal end part ifi of the cam slot 52. As a result both guides are under constant tension when the drive assembly is in operative position in the part 44 of the cam slot, and the degree of tension deter-'- mines the force with which the bead on a can is held against the traction wheel.v It is this force acting on the drive assembly which holds the disc de in the upper end part id of the cam slot and thus holds the drive assembly in operative position even though it is released by the operator. Since a positive force on the key 34 is required to return the drive assembly i4 to inoperative position, it is not likely that the opener will be released from the can accidentally when the opener is used as a handle for the can.

Furthermore, due to the fact that both guide members 5S are under tension when the drive assembly i4 is in operative position, both guides will remain engaged with the top bead on a can even though the opener is tilted somewhat. As a result the bead on the can will continue to be urged into firm engagement with the traction wheel 3i! by both guide members as long as the drive assembly remains in operative position. The opener will thus be held on the can firmly enough so that it may be used as a handle for the can even though the opener may be tilted somewhat from the vertical.

Conventional rigid guide members do not function in this manner because only the guide member on the side of the direction of tilt of the opener, i. e., the trailing side of the cutter, will engage the bead on the can when the opener is tilted. There is nothing in these openers to apply a force to the bead on the can on opposite sides of the traction wheel and hence the bead will not be gripped suiiiciently firmly to allow the opener to be used as a handle for handling the can.

An additional advantage of the novel opener construction herein described arises from the fact that the force with which the bead of the can is gripped can be controlled in view of the fact that the spacing between the arms of the U-shaped guide member 56 can be varied by spreading them.

This construction also automatically compensates for variations in the heights of beads on different cans. When conventional rigid guides are used on a can opener excessive binding between the opener and can is bound to occur if the bead on a can is greater in height than normal beads. The resilience of the guide members of the opener o the present invention automatically compensates for variations in the height of beads on diierent cans so that the opener func` tions Well on all cans.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, it is to be understood that many modifications can be made therein without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. For example, a disc cutter rather than a blade cutter may be used in which case the guides could be made as a single sheet metal stamping. It will also be apparent that the guide could be made integral with parts of the opener other than the blade and that abutments for limiting yielding movement of the guide members could be provided by means other than that described. Auxiliary parts, such as corkscrews, can be attached to the opener but since these form no '6 part of the invention they have not been described.

In addition to the modications suggested above, other modications will readily be suggested to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not to be limited to the precise structure shown and( described except in so far as it may be limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a can opener having body structure including a handle extending away from said body structure, a cutter on said body structure, a pair of guide members projecting outwardly relative to said cutter on either side thereof and having a rebent part including a free end adapted to be positioned above the bead of a can when the opener is placed thereon, a member movable relative to said body structure and including traction means, cooperating inea-ns including said traction means for moving said movable member relatively to said body structure to bring said traction means into engagement with one side of the top bead on said can and the free ends of the guide members into engagement with the opposite side of the top bead on said can, and means to limit yielding movement of the free ends of said guide members, said means allowing suiicient flexing of said guide members to cause the bead on the can to be gripped between the traction means and guide members sufficiently rmly so that said cam may be handled by means of said handle while the opener remains on the can.

2. In a can opener a supporting member, a cutter blade including a base adapted to be secured to said supporting member, said base having portions extending fore and aft of the blade and including parts of relatively reduced dimensions bent into a generally U-shape and projecting outwardly from the plane of said blade on either side thereof in a plane normal to the plane of the blade to form yieldable guides each having a free end for engaging one side of the rim of a can, and means for moving said supporting member relative to said can to cause said cutter to pierce the end of the can including traction means to engage the side of the rim of the can opposite said guides and cause said rim to be resiliently gripped between said guide means and traction means.

3. In a can opener a supporting member, a cutter blade including a base adapted to be secured to said supporting member, said base having portions extending fore and aft of the blade and including parts of relatively reduced dimensions bent into a generally U-shape and projecting outwardly from the plane of said blade on either side thereof in a plane normal to the plane of the blade to form yieldable guides each having a free end for engaging one side of the rim of a can, traction means to engage the other side of the rim of the can and cause said rim to be resiliently gripped between said guide means and traction means, said supporting member having apertures for receiving the free ends of said guide members dimensioned to limit yielding movement of the guide members.

4. In a can opener a supporting member, a cutter blade including a base adapted to be secured to said supporting member and portions bent into a generally U-shape and projecting outwardly from the plane of said blade on either side thereof to form yieldable guides each having a free end for engaging one side of the rim of meegaan a can, traction means to engage the vother side of the rim of the can and cause said rim -to .be resiliently gripped 'betweenrsaidguide means and traction means, and a handle "onsaid supporting member projecting outwardly therefrom, said guides and traction means cooperating when the latter is brought into engagement with said can to hold the opener 4firmly enough to allow -the can to be handled by means of Vsaid :handle while the opener remains engaged thereon.

5. A can opener including a body member having a handle extending away therefrom, la cutter in said body member projecting outwardly relative to said cutter on either side thereof and having a rebent part including a free end adapted to be positioned above the bead of a can when the opener is placed thereon, a cam slot in said body member, traction means journaled for movement rotationally and longitudinally of said cam slot. means on said traction means and on said body member cooperating, upon rotation of said traction means, to move said traction means longitudinally in said slot to cause said traction means to be brought into engagement with the underside of the bead on -said can and the free ends of the guide members to engage with the top of saidrean `bead and said cutter to pierce the -top of said can, and means to limit yielding movement of the free end of said guide members, vsaid means allowing suicient flexing of said guide members to cause the bead on the can to be gripped between the ltraction means and guide members on opposite sides and the cutter and said body member on the other opposite sides sufliciently firmly so that said can may be handled yby means' of said handle While the opener remains on the can.

MICHAEL J. LA FORTE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,617,142; Asbury Feb. 8, 1'927 1,742,140 VGirard Dec. 31, 1929 1,833,743 Girard Nov. 24, 1931 `2,008,430 Von Wolordorf July 16, 1935 2,070,261 Dazey Feb. 9, 1937 2,070,279 Killman Feb. 9, 1937 2,386,490 McLean Oct. 9, 1945 2.606,3'63 Hartman Aug. 12, 1952 

